Bedroom Furniture

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping, so it’s important to make sure you spend good money on a quality bed that you can live with. It may seem that choosing a bed is easy. However, it's a more difficult decision to make than you might initially think. There are generally three things to consider when looking for a new bed: size, style and price. Whilst it’s easy to get a cheap pine or metal frame, you can pretty much count on the bed not lasting very long. Sure, one of the above might be fine for a seldom-used guest bedroom, but that would never work for a child’s room. Buy the best you can afford and treat a bed like an heirloom piece of furniture you can potentially pass on to your relatives. Are you short on storage? Investigate your options with a divan or ottoman style. Also, you should think about how heavy the bed frame is and ease of assembly if you don’t live on the ground floor.

Buying Guide - Beds

Factors to consider

Before you begin looking around at different types of bed you should decide on a number of factors. Who are you shopping for? Will you want a bed for a couple, a bed for a child or just a single bed? Is the room tall enough for a bunk bed? Once you've decided it is important to set a budget because there are a wide range of bed types available, ranging in price from about a hundred pounds to over a thousand pounds.

The size of bed that you can choose may be limited by the amount of space you have in your room, and the amount of space that is already taken up by other items. It's also important to ask yourself what is going to look good with the furniture that you already have, unless you are replacing that also. Beds are available in a huge range of colours and materials so if your current bedroom has a particular decorative theme then this should obviously be taken into account when choosing your new bed.

Sizes

The measurement of the bed refers to the size of the mattress that the bed will take. This is an important thing to remember, because the actual bed frame can be larger than the size of the mattress itself. Bed sizes and names (for the UK) are as follows;

The sizing and naming for other countries will vary: a 'King size' bed in the UK is a different size to a 'King size' bed in the USA. It is important to remember that these sizes say nothing about the height of the bed.

Styles

Modern bed types, even a standard bunk bed, come in lots of different materials and styles.

Wooden frames are generally very sturdy and often come in simple plain designs. This is a popular material for bed frames because many people have wooden bedroom furniture, which means that a wooden frame will suit the existing decoration. Wooden bedframes tend to be either light brown (pine look) or dark brown in colour.

Metal is another popular material for bed frame construction, including bunk bed designs, and metal bedframes are often designed more elaborately and with more decoration. Very often the head and foot of these bed frames will have curved metalwork designs. Additionally, they can come in any colour. Metal is great for children because it's more hardwearing than wood or upholstered bed frames.

Leather and upholstery is another popular choice for bed frames, including a bunk bed. They often come in dark colours such as black or dark chocolate, and this material will contrast against light coloured furniture in the room and allow the bed or bunk bed to stand out. It is possible to get beds in both real and synthetic leather.

Innovative designs

Bed designers realise that space is important in modern homes, and any way to save space is useful. This is why some beds, usually wooden and upholstered beds or the bunk bed, make the most of unused space. They do this in a number of ways, for example, by providing sliding drawers underneath the bed or bunk bed. This means that items can be stored underneath the bed, and the bedroom can be kept clear of clutter. Sliding drawers are usually independent of the bed itself, although they are often styled to look like a base for the mattress even though they do not support its weight directly. Some beds will have a piston system that will allow the mattress to be gently raised to utilise the space underneath whilst the raised mattress is held in place. The mattress can then be smoothly lowered.

A bunk bed is another popular and innovative design of bed frame. These are particularly suitable for use by children and in dormitories. They are usually available in wood and metal and take single mattresses. A bunk bed usually consists of two beds one above the other with single mattresses. A bunk bed is an excellent way to save space and they are often popular with children. A bunk bed is not suitable for use by children under six years old.

Mattresses

Mattresses come in a variety of sizes, from single mattresses to King and Super King size. They are very important when it comes to getting a good night's sleep, and there are several different types and quality of mattress with varying price ranges.

Open spring mattresses are the most common type of mattress which most of us are familiar with. They are filled with springs to hold your weight and will keep their shape because of wire running around the edge of the mattress.

Pocket spring mattresses are generally more luxurious due to their higher number of individual springs. Additionally, they are more capable of responding to your weight. Generally they are well made and are ideal for couples sharing a bed if there is a significant difference in their body weights.

Visco-elastic mattresses, also known as memory foam mattresses, have become more popular recently. They are designed to soften in reaction to your body heat and weight and snugly fit your shape. This can help support the correct sleeping posture. This type of mattress is generally more comfortable than traditional mattresses.

Air mattresses are also available. These mattresses are not the most comfortable type of mattress. However, they can pack down into a very small space and are therefore very portable.

Another speciality kind of bed is the waterbed. These are more of a novelty and have never really become that popular, although some think that they have a therapeutic value.